Bells Start Ringing for Salvation Army Drive

They gathered beneath a three-story Christmas tree adorned with sparkling shells, stars and Magi. The horns sounded “Joy to the World.” A Santa Claus, who gave a North Pole address, amused children.

And that old red kettle started filling up with change again.

The Salvation Army launched its seasonal fund-raiser Monday at South Coast Plaza with all the familiar trappings of holiday charity: the well-known kettles and bells, a brass band and uniformed volunteers.

All the change and greenbacks that pile up this season will fund efforts to provide 7,000 needy families with toys, Christmas dinner and other necessities. Collections also benefit shelters, temporary housing, youth centers and food drives year-round.

“The Salvation Army is here for you all the time, but we really need your help at Christmastime,” said Capt. Lee Lescano, coordinator of its Orange County chapter.

Bell-ringing volunteers will be stationed at 50 to 60 locations countywide this season, including Main Place in Santa Ana, Huntington Center, the Mission Viejo Mall, Target stores and 11 points at South Coast Plaza.

The mission: to get holiday shoppers to drop pocket change into the red buckets marked with the Salvation Army shield.

“Every child who drops a penny in a kettle is a donor,” said Joann Waldron, a volunteer from North Tustin.

The Salvation Army began collecting donations in Orange County 109 years ago at 1st and Main streets in Santa Ana, officials said.

The nonprofit group dates back to 1865, when founder William Booth, a Methodist minister, organized an evangelical and charitable organization in London known as the Christian Mission. The group, which later changed its name to the Salvation Army, spread to the United States in 1880. Today, there are branches in about 85 countries.

South Coast Plaza has hosted the charity’s holiday kickoff for four years. During the event, the mall seeded the donation bucket with a check for an undisclosed amount.

“Our check doesn’t make as much noise as the change, but I think it makes a bigger dent,” said Billur Wallerich, the mall’s communications director.